Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-12-02

ticularly, as / prevented any destruc-
ton of the cribs or any unnecessary
damage to the property. Consequently
l was very Hospitality received in the
house. The family consisted of an old
gentleman named Sunderland, his
wife, and three daughters. Sunderland
was q well-to-do planter, though too
old to take arms. He was doctor by
profession and q Methodist preacher by
choice. His family circle was, in its
refinement and the beauty of the girls,
something charming, particularly to a
horse soldier who for some years had
known only the roughness of the camp.
The eldest daughter was married, her
husband being a captain in the rebel
army. The other two were our fair
petitioners, and with them I enjoyed q
tlattering degree of popularity from
the start"
The Commander-in-chie stopped
aud gazed with q smile into the Ala
bama of twenty years ago.
Well" he said, picking up the
thread Of the story, II need only say
that their fate was in my hands, that
all is fair in love and war, and from
that day forth L simply owned the
place, corntields, niggers guitars, and
| Methodist preachers, all included.
And gentlemen" and he dwelt with
some particular and meaning en-
phasis upon the "and;" "sho, Ellen,
! was 10 and / was %.
During the next two months all our
foraging somehow was in their direc-
ton. 1t seemed, perhaps, to the horses
1,ok 1,l>
line had migrated to the district back
of the Sunderland plantation, which
had to be passed in order to light ON
anything at all. There Was something
about the Sunderland cuisine, too, that
must have appeared very tempting to my
men, for did not willingly, L believe,
miss a meal. Ellen and /, in fact, We're
constantly together. The old folks
made no objection. The blue eyes of
the golden-haired sister beamed the
sweetest kind of approval the days
were long, and the twi]ights of the dim
old fir woods perfect, and--I believe 1
mentioned the fact, gentlemen" said
the Commander-in-chi with a sigh,
chat she was 10 and | was %.
II might remark parenthetically,
that there is nothing in life quite SO
fascinating as to be isolated in the will
derness in company with beautiful
woman. Several books have been
written with that one idea to carry
them, and, like Charles Reade's Foul
Play they have always caught the
public's eye. There was no senti-
mental talk between us. The crack Of
the guerrilla rifle, the distant boom of
battle, the war smoke in the air, and
| the period when no one knew what
day might bring forth were very Ill
adapted for sincere love-making, and
that anything in the shape of man
could have made love to Ellen Sunder-
land insincerely it would take pretty
bitter cynic to believe. But we were
together none the less; together when
the tree shadows crept slowly across
the hot, still, brown fields as the sun
sank lower and lower toward the
mountains sumnlits together in the
| stiffness and loneliness OF the moss
grown aisles Of the woods; in The noon
tide heat; together when the big round
harvest moon hung still and simmer
ing like great shield of gold balanced
against the black velvet wall of the
autumn night universe. What we said
and what we did and what we thought,
it matters not. It would be to you
very much like chestnut, perhaps, to
dwell upon it. Every woman knows
who has ever been 10; every man re-
members who knew what it was
to be %.
"Well, one day, when I had entered
the house, 1 had surprise. L Lad
heard rumors of there being a wounded
rebel officer in hiding at the Sunder-
lands. I had paid no attention to them,
however, believing them to be without
foundation. But on this day, entering
the house as usual without knocking, 1
opened the door Of the reception room
hand side of the hall, which ran
through the house. There was large
fireplace in this room on tho side OPP
posite the door. AS stepped in I saw
all easy chair, high-backed, in front of
this fire. was instantly conscious in
some wayfor I certainly saw nothing
Of him-that man, and stranger,
was sitting in that chair. did not at
tempt to see any more. stepped out,
closed the door, and quietly took a
chair in the sitting-room opposite. In
q moment or two the eldest daughter
came in hurriedly, pale and agitated.
Air. she gasped, Did you go
into the other room?
~ did, said l.
".Did you see anybody?'
L did not, I answered very quietly
She looked me squarely i'll the eye. 1
looked squarely back. She bowed,
and, apparently relieved, passed out.
"She had hardly gone before Addie
came in. She was confused at seeing
me in the sitting room.
"'Oh, Mr. she said, and then
stopped in perplexity.
"'What is it?' asked.
II was going to ask-I-that is.
Did you go into the other room?'
81 did, said 1.
odd you see anybody?'
L did not
"And then, with the same question on
her lips, Ellen came in, ignorant Of what
had occurred with the others. She
was very grave, almost sad. She asked
me the same question in low, an APP
pealing tone. did not like even a